Car door operating implement



y 1940- T. H. EDELBLUTE 2,201,394

CAR DOOR OPERATING IMPLEMENT Filed Aug. 31, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR as 11 Edelbl ufe v whi a3 5 fiuwmwmw IHIIHUI y 4 'r. H. EDELBLUTE 2,201,394

CAR DOOR OPERATING IMPLEMENT Filed Aug. 31, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 l 524' y l l I, I

w I homasflfi zufe Patented May 21, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE can noon ornaa'rmo IMPLEMENT Thomas H. Edelblute, Beynoldlville, Pa.

' Application August a1, 1938, Serial No. 227,729

11 Claims.

often use is made of crow-bars and other prying devices. Also, many injuries to the hands occur in the closing of the -hopper doors of gondola cars or other injuries result from the efforts of workmen to close such doors. Not infrequently is it necessary for the workman to lie down on his back under a gondola car and push the hopper door shut with his feet.

The present invention provides a convenient tool or implement to housed in opening or closing the doors of box cars. It is of a character such that it can be used on all types of box cars and in various positions. For example, in some places the box car is loaded or unloaded from a platform where the floor of the freight car is on the same level as the platform so that anyone operating the door is standing on a plane level with the floor of the car. In other cases the door has to be opened by someone standing on the ground possibly in a narrow space alongside a building or warehouse or from a pathway that is considerably lower than the rails on which the car is standing. The implement provided by the present invention is applicable to use with equal convenience in these various locations.

0 The invention provides a tool which has a removable attachment to enable the tool to be used in closing the doors of gondola cars with out likelihood of inJury to the fingers or hands of the workman and without necessitating that he get under the car.

The present invention, moreover, provides an implement of this character which, while specifically applicable to use in connection with car doors, can also be used for performing miscellaneous pulling operations as for example the moving of heavy objects over a station platform. and which is of a simple rugged construction that may be built to sell for a low price and which is more convenient to use than more expensive devices heretofore provided for this purpose.

The invention may be readily understood by reference to the accompanying drawings which illustrate certain preferred embodiments of my invention and in which:

Figure l is a more or less schematic view showing the implement being used for closing the door of a box car;

Figure 2 is a similar view showing the implement being used to open abox car door;

Figure 3 is a side elevation of the implement itself Figure 4 is a top plan view of the implement shown in Figure 3;

Figure 5 is a detailed view showing on a larger scale a longitudinal section through a portion of the implement;

Figure 6 is a side view partly in section of the operating end of the implement with the attachment applied thereto through which the device is used for operating the doors of gondola cars Figure 7 is a top plan view of the portion of the tool shown in Figure 6;

Figure 8 is a view similar to Figure 5 showing a slightly modified arrangement;

Figure 9 is a sectional view in substantially the plane of line IX-IX of Figure 8.

The implement comprises an elongated rigid handle member having a handle portion 2, a terminal portion 3, and an intermediate portion 4 having integral parallel side bars 40 with an open space therebetween. Opposite the terminal portion 3 is an end 5 which is preferably of a wedge shape to enable the tool to be used as a pry or a crow bar. The end portion 3 of the handle member is bifurcated, and passing through the bifurcated end is a pin 6. This pin supports a member I, which member has a projecting portion 8 with a bore 9 therethrough, the bore being at right angles to the pin 6. Passing through the bore 8 is the shank ll of a hook II. A nut Illa on the other end of the shank It serves to hold the hook member in place. By reason of the hook ll being pivoted to rotate about the axis of the shank l0 and also being carried in the member I which is pivotally supported on the pin 6, the hook has a universal mounting at the end of the handle. The memher 1 is preferably provided with projecting lugs Ia and lb on its inner end. An integral transverse stop I2 extends across the bifurcated portion of the handle so as to be in the path of travel of the lugs 1a and lb so that the pivoting movement of the hook about the pin 6 is limited in one direction by the contact of lug lb with the cross member l2 and in the other direction by the contact of the lug Ia with the member i2. It is desirable to limit the range of pivoting movement in this direction. as hereinafter described.

Back of the bifurcated end portion and back of the stop i2 there is preferably across web l3 to strengthen the construction and which also preferably has holes l4 therein for the purpose hereinafter described. Between the cross web l8 and the beginning of the solid portion of the handle 2. there is an opening I through the intermediate portion of the handle between the side members 4a. A chain engaging pawl or dog 16 is positioned in the opening Hi, this pawl being pivotally supported on a cross pin II. The pawl has a chain engaging terminal portion Ilia and an oppositely extending arm portion I611. The implement is formed with a cross piece 18 between the two side bars 4a which cross piece is parallel with the pivot pin l! for the pawl and which has inclined surfaces on the inner face thereof, one of which forms a stop to engage and limit the rocking movement of the pawl in a clockwise direction as viewed in Figure 5 and the other inclined face of which connects the arm l6b of the pawl to limit the rocking movement of the pawl in a counterclockwise direction as viewed in this figure. A cross piece l9 extending between the side portions 4a is provided with a socket 20 inwhich is one end of a compression spring 2|, the other end of this spring being seated in a recess in the arm llib of the pawl. The spring thus normally urges the arm Nib toward the abutment member l8 which is the position of the parts illustrated in Figure 5 and the abutment prevents the pawl from rotating to a point where the spring would fall out.-

Adjacent the chain engaging terminal Ilia of the pawl or dog [6 is cross piece 22. This is preferably a separate member formed of square steel stock and passing through square openings in the side members do and retained in place by cotter pins at each end thereof. This cross piece forms a chain stop to cooperate with the pawl- Passing between the chain stop 22 and the terminal l6a. of the pawl is a link chain 23. This chain may be of any desired length and it is preferably provided with a hook 24 at one end as shown, for example, in Figures 1 and 2. The chain may be readily pulled through the opening ii in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3. When it is pulled in this direction-the successive chain links riding over the stop 22 move the pawl It in a. clockwise direction enabling the,

chain to easily pull through the device. When the lever is pulled in the direction of the arrow in Figure 3, one link is flat and firmly pressed by the pawl top I6a against the stop 22. The suc-- ceeding link to the flat one hits against the chain stop. It tends to slide up the chain stop, but this movement is resisted by the thrust endwise against the pawl, the line of thrust being on a line of dead center so that the pawl does not rotate. When it is desired to release the pawl to enable the chain to be'pulled through to a direction opposite the direction of the arrow in Figure 3, pressure has to be applied manually to the arm I61; 01' the pawl. A swivel 23a in the chain is desirable, as it avoids twists which interfere with the operation of the device when the chain becomes short, 1. e., when the operating device approaches close to the hook end of the chain.

In using the device as illustrated in Figures 1 to 5 inclusive, the hook II on the implement is hooked into the handle of a box car door. In some cases these handles are horizontal and in other cases they are vertical. The hook II can be hooked into either horizontal or vertical handles with equal facility. If the implement is to be used in closing a car door as shown in Figure 1, the hook 24 on the end of the chain is anchored to some part of the car toward which the door is to be moved. In Flgure'l this hook is illustrated as being engaged in a hasp that is commonly provided-alongside the door frame of a box car. In some instances it would be hooked to some part of the under rigging of the car. It is only important that the hook 24 be anchored at that end of the car toward which the door is to be moved. The operator then grasps the free end of the chain in one hand and with the other he rocks the lever about its pivot 6 in a direction away from him. In this movement of the lever away from him the pawl It will ride over the chain links. The lever may be thrust forward any convenient distance until the abutment l2 engages the lug 1b which limits the maximum forward swing of the lever. He then pulls the lever back toward him using either one or both hands.

The chain will be held against relative movement between the pawl and the chain stop 22 so that the lever cannot slip back over the chain, and causes the car door to be pulled in the direction of the arrow in Figure 1. By reason of the relatively great leverage that can be exerted in this way, the door may be moved with ease. The lever may be pulled toward the operator until the abutment I2 hits the lug 1a of the member I which limits the backward pull of the lever. This operation is repeated until the door is closed. By reason of the universal connection between the hook and the lever, the lever may be swung to any suitable angle, and it can be used by one walking below the car and close to the side of it or by one walking along a platform which is level with or above the car floor. Moreover the hook will accommodate itself to doors having either vertical or horizontal handles.

In opening a car door, the same operation is followed, the hook 24 being anchored to some point on the car frame forwardly in the direction to which the door is to be moved. This is illustrated in Figure 2. The lever is manipulated in thesame way for either opening or closing the door. The advantage of limiting the arc through which the lever may be swung with reference to the hook carrying member I may be readily understood. If, for example in Figure 2,;the lever could be swung to a position where it was nearly horizontal, the chain would lie at only a slight angle with respect to the stop member 22, and

the pawl i6 would be less effective for holding the chain and the leverage exerted in pulling the handle back would be less effective than it is where the handle or lever is at a greater angle to the chain. Also, when thehandle is swung forward away from the operator and strikes lug lb, it tends to rotate member I in which the hook II is carried, forcing the hook into a better holding position with the door handle. If the lever could be pulled back too far toward the operator, the relation of the chain with respect to the locking pawl and the stop would be such that the chain might slip.

When it is desired to use the tool for closing the hopper doors of gondola cars, the pin 6 i removed to permit removal of the member 1 with the hook II. ininal member of the shape shown in Figures 6 and 7 is substituted. This terminal member which is made of rigid metal has an inner end portion 25 adapted to be received in the bifur- In place of this member a ter-- accuses cated end of the lever 2, this end portion 23 havinwardly extending projections 26, these projections being adapted to enter the holes l4 in the cross member i3. The stop member I2 is received in the space between the two projections. This arrangement provides a way of forming a rigid extension for the lever 2 using the same pin 3 as used for holding the member 1 on the lever. Only the single pin has to be removed to replace one member with the other. This attachment preferably has an oifset 21 therein beyond which is an extension 28 preferably terminating in a wide wedge shaped terminal 29.

In using this device, the chain is pulled through the dog until there is only a short length of chain between the dog and the hook 24. The swivel 23a is located at a proper distance to provide a v convenient measure of the short length 0! chain there is no relative motion between the chain and In Figure 6 the hook 24 is not shown the lever. but will be on the lower end of the chain as this figure is viewed from the bottom of the sheet. The offset 2' enables the tool to more conveniently engage the inclined bottom of the hopper than if the attachment were straight.

Instead of prBviding for a universal movement of the hook Ii through the use of the transverse pins 8 and Ill, the modification shown in Figures 8 and 9 may be employed where the connection between the hook and the lever is a ball and socket type of connection. The arrangement shownin Figures 8 and 9 is illustrated merely to show another type of universal mounting for the hook and is slightly more expensivethan the preferred embodiment. In this figure designates the lever having an opening 8| through one end thereof to receive the chain engaging dog 32 and the chain stop 33. Beyond the opening 3i the lever has an extension 34 in which is a hemispherical socket 35 having a slot 38 therein. Within the socket 35 is a ball 31. A hook 38 has a shank 39 which is threaded into the ball, the threading of the shank 39 into the ball enabling the device to be easily assembled. Cooperating with the extension 34 for retaining the ball 3'! in place is a cap member 40 secured in place by bolts 4!. described in connection with Figures 1 to 5. The hook 38 can rotate about the axis of the shank 39, the ball 317 turning in the socket provided for it. Lever 30 can also rock or move in adirection transverse to the axis of the socket 33 through a limited arc the length of which is determined by the slot 36. The ends of the slot 38 form stops to limit the relative swinging movement of the lever similar to the abutment l2 cooperating with lugs la and lb.

One of the parts of the device which wears most quickly is the chain stop 22 of Figure. 5 or 33 of Figure 8. By making the chain stop square it not only has the desired angular surfaces for cooperating with the chain, but when one edge of it wears too much, the member can be removed and turned a one quarter turn and replaced to present a new surface for engagement with the chain. The chain engaging dog can be readily removed from the device for repair or replace- The device is used the same as the device ment. The spring is in a protected position.

The device which is illustrated in the drawing is of rugged. construction and will readily withstand the'abusive use to which articles of this kind are necessarily subjected. 'Ihe'lever member 2 is preferably constructed of malleable iron and little machine. work is required on it., Because of the universal connection between the hook and the lever the device can be used in a variety of positions and with all types of box car doors. The device can also be used for moving other objects as for instance,'irl' the sliding of heavy crates or boxes over a warehouse or loading platform. One man is enabled to open practically any box car door through the use of this device in a short time.

While I have specifically illustrated and described certain preferred embodiments of my invention, it will be understood that the invention is not confined to the particular construction and arrangement of the parts illustrated, but may be otherwise constructed.

I claim:

l. A car door operating tool comprising a handle member and an attaching hook universally connected to the handle, the handle having an opening therethrough, a chain engaging pawl pivotally carried by the handle inthe opening and a chainstop extending across the opening adjacent the end of the pawl, the opening being closed on all sides to prevent lateral displacement of the chain.

2. A car door manipulating tool comprising a handle member having an opening therein through which an operating chain may pass, a pivoted spring biased pawl in the opening for engaging a chain passing through the opening, the pawl being pivoted to ride over the links of thechain upon relative movement between the chain and handle in one direction, the pawl being restrained against movement when the handle is moved in the other direction with respect to the chain, and rigid means for pivotally attaching the handle to a car door, said opening in the handle member being closed on all sides to prevent lateral displacement of the chain.

3. A car door operating tool comprising a handle member, an attaching hook pivotally connected to the handle member, the handle member having an opening therethrough which is enclosed on all sides, a link chain passing through the opening, and a spring biased pawl pivotally carried on the handle cooperating with the chain to permit relative movement between the handle and the chain in one direction but to restrain relative movement between the handle and the chain upon movement of the handle in the opposite direction.

4. A car door operating tool comprising a handle member, an attaching hook pivotally connected to the handle member, the handle member having an opening therethrough which is enclosed on all sides, a link chain passing through the opening, a pawl pivotally carried on the handle cooperating with thechain to permit relative movement between the handle and the chain in one direction but to restrain relative member universally supported on the handle 15 member whereby the handle member may be rocked back and forth in one direction with respect to the hook and may also be swung in a plane transverse 'to the plane of the first direction of movement, the handle member having an opening therethrough in that end thereof adjacent the hook, said opening being enclosed on all sides, a chain passing through the opening, a pawl carried on the handle member cooperating.with the chain arranged to ride over the chain when the handle member is moved in one direction in one plane, but which locks against the chain when the handle is moved in the other direction in the same plane.

6. A car door operating implement comprising a handlememberconstitutingalever,ahookedmember universally supported on the handle member whereby the handle member maybe rocked back and forth in one direction with respect to the hook and may also be swung in a plane transverse to the plane of the first direction of movement, the handle member having an opening therethrough in that end thereof adjacent the hook, said opening being enclosed on all sides, a chain passing through the opening, a pawl carried on the handle member cooperating with the chain arranged to ride over the chain when the handle member is moved in one direction in one plane, but which looks against the chain when the handleis moved in the other direction in the same plane, and cooperating means on the hook and handle for limiting the range of back and forth movement of the'handle in said plane to an arc of less than 180.

7. A car door operating device or like implement comprising a handle member having a bifurcated end portion, a removable pin passing through said bifurcated end portion, a hook carrying member pivotally mounted on said handle member, a hook pivotally supported in said hook carrying member withits axis of rotation transverse to the axis of said pin, said handle member having an opening therethrough adjacent the bifurcated end and a cooperating fixed chain stop and movable pawl in the opening, and a link chain passing between the chain stop and the pawl, the opening being enclosed on all sides to prevent lateral displacement of the chain.

8. An implement of the class described comprising a handle member having an opening therethrough, a link chain passing through the opening, a pawl pivotally supported in the opening for cooperation with the chain, means for limiting the pivotal movement of the pawl, a chain stop cooperating with the chain and pawl, said chain stop comprising a removable member extending transversely across the opening and being of non-circular symmetrical cross section whereby it may be removed and turned and replaced to present other surfaces thereof to the chain.

9. A car door operating device comprising a rigid handle member having a bifurcated end portion, a perforated web connecting the two sides of said bifurcated end, a pin passing through said bifurcated end, of the handle memher, an extension secured to the bifurcated end of the handle member having an eye through which said transverse pin passes and having projections extending into the perforations of said web, said extension having a lateral y offset bend therein, the handle having an opening therethrough, a chain passing through the opening, and a pawl and chain stop cooperating with the chain, said extension being removable from the handle by removal of said transverse pin.

10. A car door operating implement comprising a rigid lever having a terminal portion universally pivoted thereto adapted to be engaged with a part of a car and having an opening therethrough intermediate its ends which opening is enclosed on allsides, a chain passing through the opening in the lever for engagement with another part of the car, and a pawl on the lever pivotally supported for operation in the opening ment to a car door handle, said lever having an opening therein between its ends which is enclosed on all sides through which the chain passes, and a self-actuating pawl in said opening which rides over the links of the chain when the lever is moved in one direction and which locks against the links to exert a pull on the chain when the lever is moved in the opposite direction,

said lever having a fixed chain stop which cooperates with the pawl.

THOMAS H. EDELBLUTE. 

